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5 Steps To A Happy Valentine's Day For Single Women

Valentine's Day is about love, not just couples. Single women can make it positive and meaningful!

Make your Valentine’s Day about love in general instead of just about romantic love. It’s your holiday and it's possible to adjust it so you feel strong instead of weak, happy instead of sad, loved instead of lonely.

You have a choice.

Option 1: You can choose to whine and cry with negative, bitter single women and justify why you're happy to be single so that you may at some point believe it yourself (I realize there are some of us who really are happy single) or commiserate as to why all men are the same and relationships don't work.

Option 2: Or you can choose to be happy single and create a new, fun tradition that touches all the important people in your life with your sincere gesture of gratitude and leaves everyone with great memories of Valentine's Day.

I can't tell you how to accomplish the first, dismal choice because I'm a positive woman and avoid negative, bitter women regardless of relationship status. But I can certainly share 5 great steps for the second, more empowering choice of making this your favorite holiday with a fun, new tradition.

5 Steps To A Happy Valentine's Day For Single Women

Step 1: Realize the Valentine’s Day tradition was started in the 14th Century and (thank goodness) things have evolved since then.

Although the holiday is great for sales with florists, candy makers, restaurants, greeting card companies and jewelry stores, you can make it whatever you want it to be. And being a positive, single woman myself, I choose to make it fun, girlie and powerful.

Step 2: Avoid single toxic girl friends on Valentine’s Day. They complain about men and being single and you don’t want to be a part of that if you are truly interested in creating fun, empowering new traditions for your holiday.

Hang out with positive-minded women instead. If you don't know any, we can fix that a bit later but for now, avoid the toxic ones. We have to surround ourselves with people who appreciate us or it’s really challenging to appreciate ourselves and that's vital for our personal happiness.

Step 3: Make a list of your friends; family members, hair stylist, favorite grocery store clerk, and anyone else whose day you can brighten without irritating their significant other (keep in mind that if a significant other is irritated by this kind gesture, they have their own issues).

Buy a box of classy Valentine’s Day cards that are versatile and not just about romantic love (although your UPS man may appreciate one). The cards can even be blank inside and don’t have to be specifically for the heart-shaped holiday.

Step 4: Write three things you appreciate about each person in their card and either mail or hand deliver them. Write things like, "I appreciate your smile each time I'm in your checkout line at the store." Or, "Mom, I really appreciate that you care so much even when we disagree. I always know you're there and that comforts me."

As you know, we don’t get notes of appreciation very often and you can easily make someone’s day, or week or month or year! That’s why it’s important to send them to people you truly care about regardless of how often you see them.

Step 5: Plan your day and evening with some fun, lighthearted or empowering activity. Enjoy positive friends if you have some already, watch a favorite upbeat movie that inspires you, yoga, read an inspiring book, Skype with long-distance friends or family.

Relax, knowing in your heart that next year you may be in a relationship if that's your goal but I expect the majority of the responses you get from this year’s cards will be enough to cement this as your new tradition even if you are enjoying a new love. And your future significant other will marvel at your sincerity and willingness to make what can be a negative holiday for singles into something so magical for you and those you love and will likely join in.

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